As I left the gym that night, now almost ten years ago, I was impressed with Mikayla Boykin. Not as a basketball player, although she was a high school McDonald’s All-American and heading to Duke. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t even wearing sneakers that night!
It was toward the end of the youth basketball season during Makayla’s senior year at Clinton High. I was scheduled to referee a nine and 10-year-old game for the Clinton Recreation Dept. at the old Sunset Ave. gym. The other referee came down sick at the last minute, so I was the only referee there. I was going to have to work the game by myself unless I got some help. Trust me, chasing nine and 10-year-old boys around on a basketball court by yourself is rough. Remember, I’m officially now an old guy, and I’ve got papers from Social Security to prove it.
Mikayla was working that night for the Rec. Dept. They used students on game nights to help set up the scoring table, get the balls, distribute the jerseys to the players, and make sure everything is set up for the games. Mikayla would work some when she didn’t have practice or games. I had become acquainted with Mikayla when she had worked a couple of games I officiated during the football season.
It was game time that night and I was in a jam. I could referee the game by myself, but it wouldn’t be easy. I looked over to Mikayla, who was putting the balls up after warm-up. I asked, “Can you help me ref?” About the same time, Brad Spell, one of the coaches, came by. “Come on, Mikayla, get out there,” he said. Understandably, she was hesitant.
“But I’ve got boots on, and don’t have a whistle,” she responded. We told her not to worry about it, and that she would do fine. And she did, even though it was not her job that night. Going up and down a basketball court in boots isn’t easy. Not having a whistle, she would yell out violations, like “Foul! Foul!” or “Traveling! Traveling!” (This happens quite a lot when officiating nine and 10-year-olds.)
Everything went smooth, and we got through the game easily. After the game, I told Mikayla how much I appreciated her help. When I got home, I told Terri how much I was impressed by the young lady who helped me officiate. When you help an old guy save a bunch of steps, you make an impression.
I remember watching Mikayla excel on the court during her days at Clinton High School. But I remember how a young lady helped out this old guy one night at Sunset Ave. gym when she didn’t have to. Mikayla Boykin made an impression that night, not with her abundant basketball skill, but with her character as a young person.
I was reminded of that night after reading an article about Mikayla in this newspaper last week. After arriving at Duke, Mikayla’s future took a turn because of injuries and several ACL knee surgeries, effectively ending her basketball career. What would she do now that basketball, which had been so much of her life, was over?
That’s when the character that I saw in that gym years earlier, which was developed through family and her roots in Sampson County, would reveal itself and lead her in a new direction. Words like integrity and perseverance are used to describe character. But character is who you really are.
Per the article, Mikayla now “serves as CEO of MSpire Sports Group, an agency dedicated to helping athletes navigate recruiting, NIL opportunities, branding and life beyond athletics.” But it’s more than just the financial aspects. Just as she had to learn through those difficult injuries, she now wants “people to know who they are outside basketball.”
A long-time coach told me back then that Mikayla was the best basketball player he had ever seen in Sampson County, boy or girl. And ability will open doors. But ability is often just an avenue, and it is character that ultimately determines destiny. And I’ve got a feeling that we’re just seeing the beginning of Mikayla Boykin’s destiny.